Veteran Yoruba Nollywood actress Habibat Jinadu has opened up about how discrimination over her dark complexion within the film industry drove her to bleach her skin.
Speaking during an interview with BBC Yoruba, the actress revealed that directors frequently favored fair-skinned actors, making it difficult for darker-skinned performers to get movie roles.
“Back then, if you were not fair, nobody would call you for jobs. Whenever they turned the light on us on a movie set, the director would say I was too dark,” Jinadu recalled.
She explained that while she initially ignored the negative remarks, a deeply hurtful insult comparing her natural appearance to an animal pushed her over the edge.
“I didn’t pay much attention to it until someone said I looked like a monkey,” she said.
Jinadu stated that the persistent criticism and rejection over her skin tone eventually influenced her decision to lighten her complexion to survive in the industry.